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Believe it or not, we are less than three weeks away from seeing NBA teams back on the hardwood in at least a somewhat competitive capacity. Today, on Independence Day, the league offered us freedom from an NBA basketball-less existence in the form of the scrimmage schedule for the regular season restart in Orlando. The first Orlando Bubble scrimmages take place on July 22, while the Sixers’ first opportunity on the court comes two days later on Friday, July 24.
Here’s the full league schedule:
Here’s the full NBA scrimmage schedule: pic.twitter.com/BgDHBcxrwV
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) July 4, 2020
If you want to save yourself the time of looking through that entire list, the Sixers’ three scrimmages are as follows:
- Friday, July 24 vs. Memphis Grizzlies - 3:30pm ET
- Sunday, July 26 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder - 12:00pm ET
- Tuesday, July 28 vs. Dallas Mavericks - 8:30pm ET
If you’re wondering, the status of those scrimmages being televised is still to be determined.
NBA says whether any scrimmage games will be on TV is being worked on. Undetermined at this time. https://t.co/TkY534oCmV
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) July 4, 2020
It sounds like at least a handful of the NBA scrimmage games may be televised. May be used to work out the bugs before the Seeding Games start on 7/30.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 4, 2020
Assuming we have the means to view those three Sixers scrimmages, I feel that’s a pretty darn fun exhibition slate. Now, I know they are only scrimmages before an eight-game regular season restart that doesn’t mean a whole lot depending on how you feel about the Sixers finishing either fourth or fifth in the East heading into the August playoffs...but...if you like watching exciting, young guards take the floor, you couldn’t ask for much better than Ja Morant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luka Doncic in succession. Plus, with the Grizzlies being involved in the battle for the 8th seed, and the Thunder and Mavericks both a part of the group I’m calling “let’s try not to play the Clippers in Round One,” I feel like these teams are as incentivized as possible to round into form quickly, which could make for some better basketball.
Regardless, the Sixers could be playing the Washington Generals on July 24, and I’m sure we’d all have our eyes glued to television and be live-tweeting the event. Come on, NBA, just throw some cameras up. We will watch!
Enjoy any Fourth of July festivities tonight (safely, and while social distancing). The real fireworks are about to pop off in Disney World in just a few weeks’ time.